Expert: Steve Summers - 8/11/2009

Question
Hi Steve
My husband and I  are arriving in San Franciso from NY around mid day on Tuesday after labor day, and need to be in LA/Santa Monica  on Friday evening. No specific time. Overnight on Tuesday in Marin county with friends, and we have two nights reservation at the Awaheena on Wednesday and Thursday night.
We have both been to SF in the past so we will be ready to start the trip to Yosemite on Wednesday morning. None of us have been to Yosemite, we are middle aged , good shape, love hiking, easy to moderate, culture etc.
Questions: Anything interesting en route to Yosemite, or should we just drive straight  there?
How should we divide our time there? I see that you recommended the Grand tour- what is the advantage of joining a tour rather than follow the same route ourselves or via shuttles? Given that we love walking, will that be a maor part of the Grand tour or will we be traveling most of the day?
We would love to go drive to Santa Monica via the coast- does that make sense at all? How long will it take? Which will be the best way to do it?

I just happened to stumble on this website- sounds stupid but can you tell me how to log on to the answer once it is ready.. or put a link in the e mail you send me
Thanks so much!
Lea

Answer
Hi Lea,

There's not a whole lot on the way to Yosemite... it's quite a long drive, and takes me 5-6 hours. If you like, the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield was a fun stop for us... and you can get great deals on their Jelly beans. And once you get to the foothills, the scenery is very beautiful. But it's best just to push on through.

On the Grand Tour, the guide points out parts of the park you might overlook, and generally provides a bit of history or trivia about the feature. Even though I've been many times, I still enjoy the information that the guides give. They share their love of the park, and it's a very good experience overall. You get a lot more out of it than just driving the route. And besides, whoever drive gets less of a view, since they have to watch the road.

If you love walking, it's not part of the tour. BUT, you can take advantage of the part of the tour that goes up to Glacier Point. Once you reach the top, you have about 40 min. before the bus goes back. However, you can take 4-mile trail back down to the valley, which has breathtaking vistas at nearly every turn. If you're really in shape, you can take 8-mile trail down.

To get to Santa Monica via the coast, you have to detour. Yosemite is pretty far inland. But if you take highway 41 south out of the park, and keep going south, it hits the coast around Morro Bay. It's probably worth it to go to San Simeon and visit Hearst Castle. Either way, you can take highway 1 to San Luis Obispo, then 101 down to Oxnard. From there, take highway 1 to Santa Monica. It's a longer route, but more scenic.

Once I answer, you're sent an email saying that you have an answer. Click on the link, and you'll see this answer. It's pretty obvious once I answer.

Have a nice trip!